Former top-15 player Jan-Michael Gambill says the unpredictable state of men’s tennis – including the rise of America’s stars – is a “million times more interesting” than seeing Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner dominate.

In 2025, Sinner and Alcaraz both won two Grand Slams and met on six occasions, three of which were in the finals of the French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open.

This year, however, their sole meeting was in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters, where the Italian won in straight sets. Tennis fans have been starved of matches between the pair as both have struggled with injury.

Australian Open champion Alcaraz missed the French Open and Wimbledon due to a four-month-long wrist problem, while Sinner hasn’t played since triumphing at SW19 in mid-July with a knee issue.

The world No 1 has just announced his withdrawal from next week’s Shanghai Masters, while the Spaniard is building nicely at the Japan Open this week. To many observers, the Sinner-Alcaraz rivalry is the best thing about men’s tennis.

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That is not the view of former world No 14 Gambill, who thoroughly enjoyed this year’s US Open, where several of his fellow Americans made it to the latter stages. Indeed, Ben Shelton beat Alcaraz in the last eight before losing to Alexander Zverev in the final.

And Frances Tiafoe and Alex Michelsen also enjoyed deep runs at Flushing Meadows. While Gambill does love the Sinner-Alcaraz matchup, he is content to have an extended pause from it for now.

He said on the Inside-In Tennis Podcast, “I know everybody loves that matchup and I love that matchup, but frankly, I got tired of it. I loved seeing Shelton in that US Open final. I loved seeing Tiafoe playing Shelton at the US Open in the semifinals. I thought that was really an interesting storyline.

“I loved how the Americans performed at the US Open. To me, that’s far more interesting, like a million times more interesting than me seeing Sinner and Alcaraz play each other again. Like I don’t personally need that for a little while.

“Maybe the rest of the tennis world does need it. Maybe that’s the thing that everybody’s clamouring for and that’s great for the other tennis fans. I’m a tennis fan and if I don’t see that even next year, I’m okay.”

Former Wimbledon quarter-finalist Gambill, who won three ATP Tour titles in his career, stressed that there were a number of interesting stories in women’s tennis right now.

For instance, Elena Rybakina taking the No 1 ranking, Aryna Sabalenka’s struggles, and the uncertain nature of who will win the majors.

He added, “I like seeing different faces in these tournaments getting through. The Rybakina story for me is also a fantastic story. I love seeing her claim that title and the number one ranking. What a wonderful human being.

“The risk that she takes when she plays, I love the way that she plays tennis. That’s a lot of fun. Now, what will Sabalenka do? I know I’ve gotten away from the men, but I think that it’s also a great story.

“What will Sabalenka do next year? She’s going to have to have a fire lit a little bit and get back to the drawing board; focusing and trying to win these tournaments. I think the tennis world is pretty vibrant right now. We’re in a good space.”

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